Land Rover Double DIN dashboard fitted

The X-mas break turned out to be the right moment to start the double din dash conversion of the Puma Defender. We obtained the part from Nakatanenga in Germany. Altogether not rocket science to fit but also not without some issues. Retailing at 315 Euro the dash is not cheap. But it looks great and using a touch screen 2-din display is a huge improvement to the old radio set up. On this particular vehicle we had a Garmin GPS and also a rear view LCD screen mounted on top of the dash. Now all integrated into the Pioneer AVIC-F60DAB unit, very nice.

Fitting the 2-din panel. First you will have to remove the old center panel. Undoing the two torx screws is peanuts. But you can not just pull it out… the dashboard is also fitted with 6 metal clamps (who on Earth did design it that way) which do need a lot of pulling force to release. Undoing all wires and switches is easy. There is no real need to mark the cables and connectors as almost all will only fit into their own specific switch. Metal clips should be re-used on the new panel, best is to fit them afters first test fit the complete dash and your 2-din unit with the 2 screws only.

Transferring the light foil no clue how to give that one a name is a time consuming job. Carefully remove the plastic joints with a sharp knife. Take it out and refit it with e.g. two component glue. The instructions supplied by Nakatanenga do not tell you how to remove this part or how to fit it back. Just transfer it onto the new double din unit… Some more extended instructions are welcome.

The other tricky bit is cutting off the top vent & clock section from the old dash panel. Again they say take it off with a suitable tool but not which one. A sharp Stanley knife and multiple cuts and being very patience did sort it for us. Be aware that it’s very easy to cut into the plastic and damage the panel. So take your time. On the dash you will have to remove a metal support fitted below the vent pipes. The 2-din unit will otherwise not fit / touch this metal part.

After cutting off the top part transfer all switches, for fitting them into the new dash trim the sides as on the picture. Some switches will have to be fitted into the new side panel allocated in the part of the dash behind the indicator switch handle. On this Puma the previous owner has fitted some spotlight switches in a creative pattern. Use the metal guide to mark the part you want to take out and use a hacksaw blade to cut the plastic. Easy job and trim with a file until you can fit the side panel into the side of the dashboard. Fit all switches, connect them and you can now test fit the center panel. You will need to stick your hand through the hole for the side panel to guide all cables and wires. With this particular Pioneer unit it turned out to be a tight fit.

Some problems encountered:

clock could not be fitted back, touching top op Pioneer unit, with a file we managed to remove just enough plastic to make it fit.

cut-off top panel with clock will not fit tight (due to the foam surrounds around the vents)

supports for 2-din unit will make the whole panel sit about 1mm further into the cabin resulting in unwanted dash light shining past the rotary switches for heater and airflow

instructions not detailed enough on key decisions for cutting and removing parts

But with some creativity and common sense all these issues can be sorted.